Starlinger: Thai plastics manufacturer Royce Universal on the road to a circular economy

The Starlinger "recoStar PET 165 HC iV+" PET bottle-to-bottle recycling line, installed at the Royce production site in Sam Phran, Thailand - (Photo: Royce Universal).

Thai plastics manufacturer Royce Universal Co., Ltd. has an annual recycling capacity of around 15,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET, which is processed into food-grade material for packaging applications.

‘For us, plastic waste is not rubbish, it is a raw material,’ says Touchawatt Techamongkoljit, CEO of Royce Universal Co. Ltd. ’Our goal is to recycle as much plastic waste as possible. We see PET bottle-to-bottle recycling as an opportunity to reduce the amount of plastic waste and reuse it in a way that avoids downcycling. This helps the environment and enables circular economy and sustainability.’

In addition to rPET films made from PET bottle flakes, Royce offers certified, recycled PET granulate in food-grade quality under the brand name ‘PetaRoyce’. The company invested in PET bottle-to-bottle recycling technology from Starlinger in 2023. The ‘recoStar PET 165 HC iV+’, installed at Royce's production site in Nakhon Pathom province, 50 kilometres outside Bangkok, processes washed PET flakes into food-safe rPET granulate and has a production capacity of up to 1,800 kg/h. Royce uses the food-grade rPET in its own film production and supplies it to brand owners and beverage manufacturers for mineral water and soft drinks in Thailand, the USA, Australia and Japan.

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‘We are working with our partners in Thailand to develop a true circular economy,’ explains Touchawatt Techamongkoljit. In a current project, Royce plans to expand its activities and recycle used PET bottles collected in southern Thailand. The rPET granules produced are then returned to be used to manufacture food-grade packaging. ‘In addition, we want to promote extended producer responsibility by developing a traceability system that uses blockchain technology and prevents greenwashing. These are just some of the steps we are taking to support and promote the use of sustainable recycled materials in various applications such as food and beverage packaging, cosmetics packaging, and household goods and appliances,’ adds Touchawatt Techamongkoljit.

Strategic diversification
Founded in 1970 as Thai Creative Lighting Co., Ltd. for the manufacture, import and distribution of decorative lamps, the company expanded its business in the following years with Modern Furniture Ltd. to include the production of plastic furniture and household items. In 2000, Royce Universal Co., Ltd. was established for the manufacture and distribution of plastic packaging films, roofing and decking.

Following restructuring measures in 2020, Royce Universal Co., Ltd. now acts as the parent company for the existing companies, whose core areas include furniture and household goods, building materials, food and beverage packaging (sheet extrusion and thermoforming) and rPET production. In 2023, Royce launched the ‘PetaRoyce’ brand for the marketing of food-grade rPET manufactured using Starlinger technology.

Royce operates three production facilities located close to each other in the city of Sam Phran in Nakhon Pathom Province in central Thailand and employs more than 500 people.

More information: www.starlinger.com, royceuniversal.net

Starlinger & Co. GmbH, Vienna, Austria

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